Winter Lingers into April….and Gives Way to Spring

The first week of April was another wintry week for us….we looked forward to the arrival of spring weather, but have seen over and over again how beautiful the snow can be in our yard and neighborhood.

One would not even know Mark had worked hard to clear the bushes, steps and walkways just a day or two before.…because the snow returned again!

I have to think that with so much snow….spring and summer should be very green when they eventually arrive in Warsaw!

The picture above is of our street the first week of April, and below is a bush that Mark passed on his walk to the tram one morning….its branches coated with a delicate sheath of sparkling ice.

On April 4, Mark turned the corner to walk to the tram, and saw a road of snow.

When he got to his office, he took this picture of the park grounds across the street.  Most of this fell overnight from April 3 to April 4.  When would it stop?

Little did we know….April 4 was the last snow of the prolonged winter.  It remained cold for a few days, but then the temperatures started to creep higher.  At first, the daily high temperatures began to be above 32F / 0C, but the low temps in the morning will still below freezing.

The view on April 7….

….the snow is gone from the walkways and streets.

On April 8 it starts to recede from the grassy areas….

….and on April 9 large sections of grass are free of snow.

On April 10, only a few small patches of snow remain….

….and on April 11, one week after the big storm on April 4, the snow is gone.

By now, both the high temperatures during the day, and the low temperatures during the night are above freezing.  That hasn't happened for months!

Then, on April 12, Mark got off the tram 2 stops early so that he could walk through the park, and saw a sight that he hadn't seen in months….the water in the pond, not covered with a layer of ice.


An even more striking sign of spring on April 13, just nine days after the last winter storm…these yellow and purple flowers emerging from the ground, but not yet opened up.  Spring had sprung!

But winter had one last desperate gasp later that afternoon….a hailstorm with marble-sized hail….but it was too late for winter because….

….the surest sign of spring was on April 16, when outdoor tables were back on the patio, and people filling them even though it was still brisk.  The Poles love to gather outdoors….

….and who would blame them?  An unusually long winter was over, and it was time to celebrate the spring and relish being outdoors again!